The Nierenberg Chair of Design was established as a visiting professorship through a generous gift from the late Mr. Theodore D. Nierenberg. Nierenberg, a Carnegie Mellon alumnus (BS, Engineering Management, 1944) who also served as a Life Trustee of the university, was one of the founders of Dansk International Design. He played an important role in the development and promotion of design in the world, and it was his wish that the Nierenberg Chair be held by an outstanding individual who has achieved national or international prominence in design or a design-related field.



Laurene Vaughan is the 2012-2013 Nierenberg Chair. She was appointed as Associate Professor Design and Communication, in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, in Melbourne, Australia in 2008. Since 2009 she has been Research Leader within the RMIT Design Research Institute, leading a community of inquiry into the Mediated City. Between 2005 -2010 she was Project Leader and researcher within ACID (the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design). Here her research focused on the human dimensions of interactions between people, systems, and collaborative technology. Read more about Laurene here.



Nick Durrant and Gill Wildman of Plot, co-appointees of the 2010-2011 Nierenberg Distinguished Professor of Design. Read the complete article. Gill Wildman returned as the 2011-2012 Nierenberg Distinguished Professor of Design.

The goal in establishing the Nierenberg Chair was to enhance the vitality of the School of Design for students and faculty alike, by encouraging dialogue on important issues of the field, exploration of contemporary forms of design practice, and research that affects future practice and understanding. Particular objectives are established for each appointment that supports this broad goal, identifying specific benefits to the School of Design and to the individual holding the Nierenberg Chair.


Harold G. Nelson, the 2009 - 2010 Nierenberg Distinguished Professor of Design

Nominees for the Chair are identified by the faculty, and individuals are selected to meet the needs of the school at the current stage of its development. In turn, it is important to the school that the individual selected for the appointment also consider how the appointment may contribute to his or her personal growth or to the advancement of a personal vision of design and design practice. In short, appointment to the Nierenberg Chair offers the opportunity for mutual benefit.


Barbara Sudick, the 2008 - 2009 Nierenberg Distinguished Professor of Design

The Nierenberg Chair is conceived as potentially the most important and prestigious appointment in design education in the United States, affording an opportunity to influence and advance the practice and understanding of design in a variety of ways extending beyond Carnegie Mellon.


Holders of the Nierenberg Chair:
Laurene Vaughan, 2012-2013
Gill Wildman, 2011-2012
Nick Durrant and Gill Wildman, 2010-2011
Harold G. Nelson, 2009-2010
Barbara Sudick, 2008-2009
No Nierenberg Chair was appointed in 2007-2008.
Ben Fry, 2006-2007
Kees Overbeeke, 2005-2006
David Gresham, 2004-2005
Ron Kemnitzer, 2003-2004
Marc Rettig, 2002-2003
Patrick Jordan, 2001-2002
Ken Hiebert, 2001 (Spring)
Ken Schory, 1998-1999
Shelley Evenson, 1997-1998
Dennis Doordan, 1997 (Spring)
Patricia Moore, 1996-1997
Tony Golsby-Smith, 1995 (Fall)
David Smith, 1993-1995
Richard Buchanan, 1991 (Fall)